Saw system for miter joints
Saw system, including methods and apparatus, for cutting pieces of stock to be installed end-to-end to form miter joints. In some embodiments, the saw system may include a computer that determines an appropriate saw pivot angle for cutting a proximal end of a second piece of stock, based on a corner angle entered for cutting a distal end of a first piece of stock. In some embodiments, the saw system may compensate for an offset pivot axis of a saw device based on entered lengths of cut first and second pieces generated respectively with the saw device pivoted to the left and to the right.
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This application is based upon and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/593,754, filed Feb. 1, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONThis application incorporates by reference in its entirety for all purposes U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0056344 A1, published Mar. 10, 2011.
INTRODUCTIONComputer-controlled positioning systems, also termed gauge systems, are commonly used in manufacturing environments to position workpieces, such as pieces of lumber, pipes, conduits, sheet metal, extrusions, or the like, quickly and accurately relative to a processing tool, such as a saw. In stop-based gauge systems, a stop serves as a movable fence that contacts an end (or other surface) of a workpiece to set the distance from the end to the processing tool. The stop can be driven along a linear axis (i.e., a measurement axis) to adjust the distance of the stop from the tool according to a target dimension, such as a desired length, for a product to be formed by processing the workpiece with the tool.
Stop-based, linear gauge systems can have various levels of complexity. More sophisticated versions automate control of the tool and use the stop as a pusher to drive movement of the workpiece toward the tool. These pusher-based systems can drive the end of a workpiece toward the tool to multiple stopped positions at which workpiece processing is performed, to create multiple products automatically from a single workpiece. For example, pusher-based systems can create a set of products of desired length automatically based on a cut list. On the other hand, more basic stop-based gauge systems combine a more passive stop with manual control of the tool. With these basic systems, a user manually places a workpiece against the stop after the position of the stop has been set based on a desired target dimension, and then manually controls the tool to process the workpiece.
Many craftsmen, such as framers, finish carpenters, cabinet installers, and cabinetmakers, could benefit from the use of a gauge system to cut pieces with beveled ends for creating miter joints. However, to make the gauge system more attractive to these craftsmen, the system could be improved, for example, to be easier to learn, more accurate at various saw angles, and/or and less likely to induce cutting errors by the user.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure provides a saw system, including methods and apparatus, for cutting pieces of stock to be installed end-to-end to form miter joints. In some embodiments, the saw system may include a computer that determines an appropriate saw pivot angle for cutting a proximal end of a second piece of stock, based on a corner angle entered for cutting a distal end of a first piece of stock. In some embodiments, the saw system may compensate for an offset pivot axis of a saw device based on entered lengths of cut first and second pieces generated respectively with the saw device pivoted to the left and to the right.
The present disclosure provides a saw system, including methods and apparatus, for cutting pieces of stock to be installed end-to-end to form miter joints. In some embodiments, the saw system may include a computer that determines an appropriate saw pivot angle for cutting a proximal end of a second piece of stock, based on a corner angle entered for cutting a distal end of a first piece of stock. In some embodiments, the saw system may compensate for an offset pivot axis of a saw based on entered lengths of cut first and second pieces generated respectively with the saw pivoted to the left and to the right.
An exemplary method of cutting and installing pieces of stock around a wall structure is provided. In the method, a saw system may be provided. The saw system may include a saw device capable of pivoting to cut pieces of stock at various selectable angles relative to a positioning path. The saw system also may include a stop, a driver capable of moving the stop along the positioning path through a range of distances from the saw device, and a computer programmed to control positioning of the stop along the positioning path. The following may be entered into the computer for a first piece of stock: (a) a proximal corner angle of the wall structure where a proximal end of the first piece will be fixed, (b) a desired length of the first piece, and (c) a distal corner angle of the wall structure where a distal end of the first piece will be fixed. The computer may be allowed to calculate an appropriate position for the stop and pivot angle for the saw device to cut the first piece. The first piece may be cut and installed. The computer may be allowed to determine an appropriate pivot angle for the saw device to cut a proximal end of a second piece of stock based on the distal corner angle entered for the first piece. The proximal end of the second piece may be cut. The following may be entered into the computer for the second piece: (a) a desired length of the second piece and (b) a distal corner angle of the wall structure where a distal end of the second piece will be fixed. The computer may be allowed to calculate an appropriate position for the stop and pivot angle for the saw device to cut a distal end of the second piece. The distal end of the second piece may be cut. The second piece may be installed to form a miter joint with the first piece.
An exemplary method of cutting pieces of stock is provided. In the method, a saw system may be provided. The system may include a saw device defining a cutting plane and capable of pivoting about a pivot axis orthogonal to a positioning path to cut stock pieces at various selectable angles relative to the positioning path. The system also may include a stop, a driver capable of moving the stop along the positioning path through a range of distances from the saw device, and a computer programmed to control positioning of the stop along the positioning path. A first piece of stock may be placed against the stop. The first piece may be cut with the saw device pivoted to the left. The length of the cut first piece may be measured and entered into the computer. A second piece of stock may be placed against the stop. The second piece may be cut with the saw device pivoted to the right. The length of the cut second piece may be measured and entered into the computer. Additional pieces of stock may be cut to desired lengths with the computer calculating appropriate stop positions based on each desired length, a pivot angle of the saw device for cutting the desired length, and the entered lengths of the cut first and second pieces.
A saw system for cutting and installation of miter-cut stock pieces may provide substantial advantages over other saw systems. These advantages may include fewer cutting length mistakes, fewer cutting angle errors, a better approach to entering measurements into the system, fewer user calculations, more accurate cut lengths with various saw angles, or any combination thereof, among others.
Further aspects of the present disclosure are presented in the following sections: (I) exemplary saw system with computer-controlled stop positioning, (II) compensation for an offset pivot axis of a saw device of the system, and (III) exemplary methods of utilizing the saw system to create miter joints.
I. Exemplary Saw System with Computer-Controlled Stop Positioning
This section describes an exemplary saw system 50 for cutting pieces of stock 52 to desired lengths with ends that are square or beveled; see
A computer 64 may be in communication with driver 58, to control the position of the stop along positioning axis 62. As a result, the computer can control the length to which the piece is cut, and can apply any adjustments to the stop position necessary to compensate for miter (angled) cuts at one or both ends of the piece, and/or to compensate for an offset of the saw's pivot axis (see Section II). The computer may include at least one user input interface 66 (such as a keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, a data port, or the like) to receive user inputs (e.g., a width of the stock, desired lengths of cut pieces, corner angles of a wall structure, a signal to move the stop, a signal to calibrate the system, or the like). The computer also may have at least one output interface 68 (such as a display, a printer, a data port, or the like) to communicate data such as values, status, and settings, to a user. In some cases, the input and output interfaces may be provided by the same device (e.g., a touchscreen).
The system may include a fence 70 arranged parallel to positioning axis 62. For example, fence 70 may be provided by any one or combination of a housing of driver 58 and a pair of fence members that are disposed along positioning axis 62 on opposite sides of a cutting plane defined by the saw device. The fence may provide at least one wall 72, such as at least one front wall, defining a fence plane 74 that includes, and/or is tangential to, the at least one wall. The fence plane may be parallel to positioning axis 62 and may be a vertical plane. Fence 70 may be configured to contact a lateral side of piece 52, to align the piece parallel to positioning axis 62 and to locate a lateral surface region of the piece substantially flush with fence plane 74.
The system further may include a base 76 to support piece 52 from underneath. The base also may support, position/fix, elevate, and/or connect any combination of other system components, such as saw device 54, stop 56, driver 58, computer 64, and/or fence 70. Exemplary bases include a stand, table, saw horse, frame, or the like.
The saw device, which in some cases may be described as a miter saw, a miter chop saw, or a compound miter saw, among others, may be any machine or tool that is capable of cutting through piece 52 at various selectable angles with respect to axis 62. The saw device may have a cutting member or blade 78, which defines a cutting path or cutting plane 80 that can intersect piece 52 orthogonally or obliquely, to produce a square-cut or bevel-cut (mitered) end, respectively. The saw device may be a power saw and may be controlled manually and/or by computer 64, among others. The saw device may have a vertical pivot axis, to produce simple miter cuts that are orthogonal to a horizontal plane, and may have a horizontal pivot axis, to produce compound miter cuts that are oblique with respect to horizontal and vertical planes.
Stock piece 52 may have any suitable properties. The piece may be formed of wood, metal, plastic, or a combination thereof, among others. The piece may be one of a set of pieces of stock. The stock may have any suitable characteristics that are shared within the set, such as the same width, thickness, cross-sectional shape, surface pattern, or any combination thereof, among others.
Pieces 90-94 may be generated with saw system 50 from longer stock piece 52, with the saw device pivoted to the left, centered (square), and pivoted to the right, respectively (i.e., with the three orientations of blade 78 shown in
Further aspects of the saw system, stock, adjustments to the stop position for miter cuts, and methods of using the saw system to process stock are described in the patent documents listed above under Cross-References, which are incorporated herein by reference, particularly U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0056344 A1, published Mar. 10, 2011.
II. Compensation for an Offset Pivot Axis of a Saw Device of the System
This section describes exemplary configurations of saw system 50 of
Since the left and right cuts were made at 45 degrees in
Pieces cut with the left and right saw positions, without moving the stop, would have the same length, which would be different than the center cut length. In the present example, the left and right cuts each would produce a shorter piece with the same magnitude and opposite sign of left and right differences 122, 124 relative to the center cut. An X-offset 130 corresponding to the length of arm 128 can be calculated from left difference 122 and right difference 124 as described below.
The saw system may be calibrated for square cuts with the saw in its centered position. Calibration generally includes cutting one or more pieces of stock (e.g., to generate a longer piece and a shorter piece), measuring the lengths of the pieces, and entering the lengths into the computer. The computer can then correlate the lengths with the stop position for each length, and determine how to accurately position the stop for other desired lengths. Further aspects of calibrating the saw system are described in the U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0056344 A1, published Mar. 10, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The stop position may be set for determining left and right differences 122, 124, indicated at 152. For example, the computer may be instructed and/or allowed to position the stop for pivot point determination. The stop may be moved to a separation distance from the orthogonal cutting plane, such as about 6, 8, 10, or 12 inches, among others. The distance may be relatively short, to minimize the length of stock used. In some cases, a piece of stock may be cut after the stop is positioned and with the saw set to make a square cut, to confirm the accuracy of the center cut length.
The saw may be pivoted to the left, indicated at 154. The saw may be pivoted by any suitable angle from orthogonal to the positioning axis to set the angle of the saw (and saw blade). For example, the saw may be set to an angle of 45 degrees, which simplifies subsequent pivot point calculations, as described further below. In other examples, the computer may be programmed to perform the pivot point calculations based on another predefined angle value for the left and right differences, and/or may be programmed to perform the calculations based on an angle(s) entered by the user.
A first piece of stock may be cut, indicated at 156, with the saw pivoted to the left. The length of the first piece may be measured, and the length entered into the computer, indicated at 158. The length of the first piece allows the computer to calculate left difference 122 (e.g., see
The saw may be pivoted to the right, indicated at 160, to set the angle of the saw to the right. The saw may be pivoted by any suitable angle from orthogonal to the positioning axis. For example, the saw may be pivoted by the same angle value (e.g., 45 degrees) as for determining left difference 122, but in the opposite pivotal direction.
A second piece of stock may be cut, indicated at 162, with the saw pivoted to the right. The length of the second piece may be measured, and the length entered into the computer, indicated at 164. The length of the second piece allows the computer to calculate right difference 124 (e.g., see
A pivot offset of the saw may be calculated, indicated at 166. For example, X-offset 130 and Y-offset 126 may be calculated from left and right differences 122, 124 (e.g., see
Additional pieces of stock may be cut, with the computer controlling the stop position to compensate for the pivot offset of the saw, indicated at 168. For example, the computer may apply an adjustment to the stop position based on the lengths of the first and second pieces, the left and right differences, the calculated pivot offset, and/or the pivot angle (angle value and direction) of the saw for each cut, among others.
Y offset=(left difference+right difference)/2 (1)
X offset=(left difference−right difference)/(2*tan(22.5°)) (2)
base(204)=p+X offset−c (3)
height(204)=Y offset+d (4)
The tangent of triangle 204 is given as follows:
tan(α)=base(204)/height(204) (5)
The pivot compensation then can be calculated as follows:
c=X offset*cos(α) (6)
d=X offset*sin(α) (7)
p=((d+Y offset)*tan(α))+X offset−c (8)
The following equations may be utilized:
III. Exemplary Methods of Utilizing the Saw System to Create Miter Joints
This section describes exemplary methods that use saw system 50 to cut pieces of stock (such as molding) for installation in a mated configuration to create miter joints; see
The wall structure may create a plurality of corners where adjacent walls 256 meet one another. The corners may include inside (concave) corners and outside (convex) corners. Each corner forms a corner angle (interchangeably termed a wall angle), which may or may not be approximately a right angle. The angle of each corner may be measured with an angle finder, which may measure and provide an angle through air for each corner, as shown here, or an angle less than 180 degrees for both inside and outside corners. In the present example, many of the corners are formed by walls that are not square to one another, to produce angles of inside corners that are not exactly 90 degrees and angles of outside corners that are not exactly 270 degrees. Accordingly, the angle at which molding is cut for each corner should be based on a measured value for the particular angle of the corner, to provide a custom fit. This process can be laborious and error-prone without the benefit of saw system 50.
Each wall can be measured horizontally (e.g., near the ceiling or floor), to determine a desired length for each piece of molding. For example, in the present illustration, each wall has a dimension, labeled serially as A to L and measured between flanking corners parallel to ceiling 252 (or the floor, among others). The dimension corresponds to the desired length for a piece of molding to be attached to each wall. In some cases, a user of system 50 can measure and record all of the wall dimensions (e.g., A to L) and corner angles of a room (or other wall structure) before cutting and installing any of the molding (or other pieces of stock), or may measure a wall dimension and a corner angle after cutting and installing each piece of stock and before cutting and installing the next piece of stock.
A width of stock pieces to be used may be entered, indicated at 282. The width, and any of the measured angles or lengths described below, may be entered into computer 64 of system 50, such as via input interface 66 (see
A value for a proximal corner angle of the wall structure may be entered, indicated at 284. The proximal corner forming the proximal corner angle may be a site where a proximal end of a first piece of stock will be fixed, as a result of attaching the first piece to the wall structure. The proximal corner angle may be measured by any suitable instrument, such as a digital or analog angle finder. The value entered may, for example, be less than or greater than 180 degrees, and may or may not be equal to 90 degrees. Whether the proximal corner angle is an inside corner or an outside corner also may be entered into the computer.
The computer may be programmed and/or allowed to calculate an orientation for the saw to cut a proximal end of the first piece of stock based on the proximal corner angle entered. The orientation may include an appropriate pivot angle (i.e., a single angle or a compound angle) for setting the saw, namely, at least one pivot angle value and at least one pivot direction (e.g., left or right, or clockwise or counterclockwise, among others). For example, if the proximal corner is an inside corner and the stock will be cut vertically, the computer may obtain an appropriate orientation for the saw by dividing the entered proximal corner angle by two and then subtracting the result from 90, and selecting right as a pivot direction. (This calculation assumes that the miter saw gauge is set at zero degrees for a square cut and that the saw is arranged to the right of the stop.) In another example, if the proximal corner is an outside corner and the entered value is less than 180 degrees, the computer may obtain an appropriate orientation for the saw by dividing the entered proximal corner angle by two, subtracting the result from 90, and selecting left as a pivot direction. If the proximal corner is an outside corner and the entered value is greater than 180 degrees, in addition to selecting left as a pivot direction, the computer may obtain an appropriate orientation for the saw by selecting left as a pivot direction and dividing by two and then subtracting 90, subtracting 180 and then dividing by two, or the like.
The saw may be set to the calculated orientation, indicated at 286. The orientation calculated by the computer may be outputted and/or communicated to the user visually and/or audibly. For example, the orientation may be displayed, printed, spoken, or the like. In any event, the user may turn the saw to the orientation calculated and outputted by the computer.
A proximal end of the first piece of stock may be cut, indicated at 288, after setting the saw to the orientation calculated from the proximal corner angle. When the proximal end is cut, the first piece of stock generally is not in contact with the stop of the saw system. Accordingly, the computer may not need to calculate an appropriate stop position for cutting the proximal end.
A desired length of the first piece of stock may be entered, indicated at 290. The desired length may be a desired final length after both ends of the piece of stock have been cut by the saw system. For example, the desired length may be entered by pressing keys or as data communicated to computer 64 from a measuring device operated by the user. In any event, the length may be measured from the proximal corner to an adjacent distal corner where a distal end of the piece will be fixed, as a result of attaching the piece to the wall structure.
A value for a distal corner angle also may be entered, indicated at 292. The distal corner for which the value is entered may be a site where the distal end of the first piece of stock will be fixed, as a result of attaching the piece to the wall structure. Whether the distal corner angle is an inside corner or an outside corner also may be entered.
The computer may be programmed and/or allowed to calculate an orientation for the saw to cut the distal end of the piece of stock based on the distal corner angle value entered. The orientation may include an appropriate pivot angle for setting the saw, namely, at least one pivot angle value and direction (e.g., left or right, or clockwise or counterclockwise, among others). For example, if the distal corner is an inside corner and the stock will be cut vertically, the computer may obtain an appropriate orientation for the saw by dividing the entered distal corner angle value by two and subtracting the result from 90, and selecting left as a pivot direction. In another example, if the distal corner is an outside corner and the entered value is less than 180 degrees, the computer may obtain an appropriate orientation for the saw by dividing the entered distal corner angle value by two and selecting right as a pivot direction. If the distal corner is an outside corner and the entered value is greater than 180 degrees, in addition to selecting right as a pivot direction, the computer may obtain an appropriate orientation for the saw by dividing the angle value by two and then subtracting a value of 90, subtracting a value of 180 and then dividing by two, or the like.
The saw may be set to the calculated orientation, indicated at 294. The orientation may be outputted and/or communicated as described above.
The computer may be programmed to control movement of stop 56 to an appropriate position for cutting the desired length. In some cases, the computer may apply one or more adjustments to determine the appropriate position of the stop for cutting the desired length. These adjustments may compensate for a pivot axis offset (if any) of the saw, by calculating and compensating for the consequence of this offset on cutting plane position at the fence plane for the particular saw orientation to be used for cutting the distal end (e.g., see
The distal end of the first piece may be cut, indicated at 296, with the saw set to the calculated orientation, the stop disposed in the appropriate position, and the proximal end of the first piece engaged with the stop.
The double-cut first piece may be installed, indicated at 298. Installation generally involves attaching the piece to the wall structure. The piece may be installed such that the proximal end of the first piece is fixed at the proximal corner and the distal end of the first piece is fixed at the distal corner.
Steps 286 to 298 next may be repeated for a second piece of stock, indicated at 300. The computer may determine an appropriate orientation for the saw to cut the proximal end of the second piece based on the distal corner angle entered for the first piece of stock. For example, the computer may select and communicate the same pivot angle value calculated for cutting the distal end of the first piece, and an opposite pivot direction from that used for cutting the distal end of the first piece. The second piece of stock, when cut to the desired length, may be installed end-to-end with the first piece of stock, to form a miter joint, with the distal end of the first piece abutted with the proximal end of the second piece. Any of steps 286 to 298 may be performed for the second piece of stock after the first piece of stock is cut and/or and after the first piece of stock is installed.
Steps 286 to 298 further may be repeated for additional pieces of stock, indicated at 300. The computer may determine an appropriate pivot angle for cutting the proximal end of each successive piece of stock based on distal corner angle information entered for the immediately-preceding piece, as described above for the second piece of stock. Each additional piece of stock may be cut at both ends and then installed with its proximal end adjacent the distal end of the immediately-preceding piece of stock, to create another miter joint.
miter offset=width*tan(saw angle) (15)
In any event, the proximal end of the third piece has been placed against stop 56, and the user is in the process of cutting the distal end of the third piece. Further aspects of calculating and applying a miter compensation to the stop position are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0056344 A1, published Mar. 10, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Crown molding can be cut in the inverted configuration shown in
Method 280 of
The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. Although each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form(s), the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed in applications claiming priority from this or a related application. Such claims, whether directed to a different invention or to the same invention, and whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure. Further, ordinal indicators, such as first, second, or third, for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order of such elements, unless otherwise specifically stated.
Claims
1. A method of cutting and installing pieces of stock around a wall structure, the method comprising:
- providing a system including a saw device capable of pivoting about a pivot axis to cut pieces of stock at various selectable angles of a cutting plane of the saw device relative to a positioning path, a stop, a fence defining a fence plane that is vertical and parallel to the positioning path, wherein the cutting plane and the fence plane intersect one another to define a line when the saw device is oriented to make a square cut, a driver capable of moving the stop along the positioning path through a range of distances from the saw device, and a computer programmed to control positioning of the stop along the positioning path;
- cutting a first piece of stock with the saw device oriented left of a square cut, and a second piece of stock with the saw device oriented right of a square cut, wherein the first piece and the second piece of stock are cut for calibration of the system;
- measuring a first length of the cut first piece of stock and a second length of the cut second piece of stock;
- entering the first length and the second length into the computer;
- entering into the computer for a third piece of stock (a) a proximal corner angle of the wall structure where a proximal end of the third piece of stock will be fixed, (b) a desired length of the third piece of stock, and (c) a distal corner angle of the wall structure where a distal end of the third piece of stock will be fixed;
- allowing the computer to calculate an appropriate position for the stop and an appropriate orientation for the saw device to cut the third piece of stock, wherein the appropriate position for the stop includes a compensation for an offset of the pivot axis of the saw device from the line, and wherein the compensation is calculated by the computer based on the appropriate orientation for the saw device, the measured first length of the cut first piece of stock, and the measured second length of the cut second piece of stock;
- cutting and installing the third piece of stock;
- allowing the computer to determine an appropriate orientation for the saw device to cut a proximal end of a fourth piece of stock based on the distal corner angle entered for the third piece of stock;
- cutting the proximal end of the fourth piece of stock;
- entering into the computer for the fourth piece of stock (a) a desired length of the fourth piece of stock and (b) a distal corner angle of the wall structure where a distal end of the fourth piece of stock will be fixed;
- allowing the computer to calculate an appropriate position for the stop and an appropriate orientation for the saw device to cut a distal end of the fourth piece of stock;
- cutting the distal end of the fourth piece of stock; and
- installing the fourth piece of stock to form a miter joint with the third piece of stock.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pieces of stock are made of a material selected from wood, metal, and plastic.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein entering each corner angle includes entering whether the corner angle represents an inside corner or an outside corner.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer, for each end of the third piece of stock and the fourth piece of stock, displays at least one angle value for pivoting the saw device and an indication of whether the angle value represents pivoting the saw device to the left or to the right.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer displays a first angle value for pivoting the saw device about a vertical axis and a second angle value for pivoting the saw device about a horizontal axis for each end of the third piece of stock and the fourth piece of stock.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer displays a same angle value for pivoting the saw device to cut the distal end of the third piece of stock and the proximal end of the fourth piece of stock.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer displays an indicator of pivoting the saw device to the left to cut the proximal end of the fourth piece of stock if the saw device was pivoted to the right to cut the distal end of the third piece of stock, and wherein the computer displays an indicator of pivoting the saw device to the right to cut the proximal end of the fourth piece of stock if the saw device was pivoted to the left to cut the distal end of the third piece of stock.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the third piece of stock and the fourth piece of stock is installed as crown molding for the wall structure.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the third piece of stock and the fourth piece of stock is installed as base molding for the wall structure.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of entering a width of the stock.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the saw device defines a square cutting plane that is orthogonal to the positioning axis, further comprising a step of pivoting the saw device to a first position for cutting the distal end of the third piece of stock and pivoting the saw device to a second position for cutting the proximal end of the fourth piece of stock, and wherein the first and second positions are angularly offset from the square cutting plane by the same amount in opposite rotational directions.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the distal corner angle, the desired length, or both the distal corner angle and the desired length for the fourth piece of stock are entered after the third piece of stock is cut to its desired length.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of cutting a first piece of stock and a second piece of stock includes a step of making a pair of miter cuts that are angularly offset from a square cut by the same amount in opposite rotational directions and while the stop is at a same position for each of the first piece of stock and the second piece of stock.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the miter cuts is offset by 45 degrees from a square cut.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first piece of stock and the third piece of stock are cut at different orientations of the saw device relative to one another, and wherein the second piece of stock and the fourth piece of stock are cut at different orientations of the saw device relative to one another.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer compares each of the first length and the second length to an actual or expected square cut length for a piece of stock cut while the stop is at a same position, to obtain a left difference and a right difference, and wherein the computer calculates the compensation based on the left difference and the right difference.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer calculates the offset of the pivot axis of the saw device from the line using the left difference and the right difference, and wherein the computer calculates the compensation based on the offset of the pivot axis calculated.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer uses the left difference and the right difference to calculate an offset of the pivot axis of the saw device as an X-offset parallel to the positioning path and a Y-offset orthogonal to the positioning path, and wherein the computer calculates the compensation using each of the X-offset and the Y-offset.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the Y-offset is calculated as an average of the left difference and the right difference, and wherein the X-offset is calculated in part by subtracting one of the left difference and the right difference from the other of the left difference and the right difference.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jan 31, 2013
Date of Patent: Apr 17, 2018
Patent Publication Number: 20130205564
Assignee: Precision Automation, Inc. (Vancouver, WA)
Inventors: Spencer B. Dick (Portland, OR), Brennan J. McClure (Vancouver, WA), Minh Dat Ba Tran (Vancouver, WA)
Primary Examiner: Phong Nguyen
Application Number: 13/755,970
International Classification: B26D 3/02 (20060101); B27B 27/10 (20060101); B23D 59/00 (20060101);